Fail to Fab: No One I Know is Successful Dating Online

As I was listening to Laurie speak at Single in Stilettos, questions revealing the negative perceptions women have of online dating was an ongoing topic. As someone who’s been searching for love on the interwebs for more than a decade, I can definitely relate to the bad, but also, see the good. Here's a special series of Fail to Fabs that are all about tackling the bad apples of dating digitally.

Fail: Whenever people hear I’m an avid online dater, all sorts of questions arise, with the most common one centered on if it actually works. Recently I had a similar conversation with a gal I met through a mutual acquaintance. She’s single and thought she’d try her hand at online dating, but after years of hearing about her friend’s failures she’s hesitant and has put off signing up for months.

Fab: The interworkings of online dating can be very fickle — just because it works one way for one person doesn’t mean that it works the same way for every person. I know people who instantly got offline, but I also know people who have dated online for years. Different strokes for different folks.

There are so many reasons why people aren’t “successful” with online dating. Perhaps they didn’t dedicate enough time to it or maybe their profile didn’t attract the right matches for them. It could even be that they’re using a site that doesn’t match their needs. Let’s not forget it could simply be the luck o’ the Internet. Lastly, everyone has different definitions of success, so at the end of the day it’s truly hard to say what counts as a win and what doesn’t.

It’s also true that online dating isn’t for everyone. Consider it this way: some things come naturally for certain people but not so much for others. The same is true for online dating.

At the end of the day, the old school saying is true — you’ll never know until you try. That really great person you’re waiting to meet could be at a bar or in line at the grocery store. But they could also be online, too.

Remember: One person does not everyone make so don’t let one bad apple online leave a bitter taste in your mouth for all those yet to come. After all — the more you search, the better chance you have of finding something sweet.